Salade Nicoise

• 1 large head Boston-lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed (page 25)
• 1 1/2 Tbs minced shallots
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup basic vinaigrette (page 16)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, cut into wedges (or 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved)
• 3 or 4 boiling potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked (see potato salad, page 20)
• Two 3-ounce cans chunk tuna, preferably oil-packed
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved (page 70)
• 1 freshly opened can of flat anchovy fillets
• 1/3 cup small black Nicoise-type olives
• 2 to 3 Tbs capers
• 3 Tbs minced fresh parsley

1. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or in a shallow bowl.
2. Shortly before serving, toss the beans with the shallots, spoonfuls of vinaigrette, and salt and pepper.
3. Baste the tomatoes with a spoonful of vinaigrette.
4. Place the potatoes in the center of the platter and arrange a mound of beans at either end, with tomatoes and small mounds of tuna at strategic intervals.
5. Ring the platter with halves of hard-boiled eggs, sunny side up, and curl an anchovy on top of each.
6. Spoon more vinaigrette over all; scatter on olives, capers, and parsley, and serve.
7. COLD ROAST MEAT SALAD.
8. Thinly slice, or cut into cubes or strips, a pound of cold roast or braised beef, veal, or pork, and refrigerate for several hours in a bowl with sufficient vinaigrette to enrobe the pieces, turning and basting several times.
9. To serve, arrange nicely on a platter, surrounded with pickles, capers, olives, tomatoes, sliced red onions and green peppers, cooked green beans, or whatever appeals to you.
10. SYRIAN LAMB SALAD.
11. Marinate for several hours a dozen thin slices of cold roast leg of lamb in garlic-flavored vinaigrette plus several pureed freshly opened anchovies.
12. Mound 3 cups or so of prepared bulgur (cracked wheat) in the center of a platter, and surround with the lamb slices.
13. Garnish as you wish with olives, hard-boiled eggs, tomato wedges, sliced bell peppers, marinated cucumber (page 23).
14. BREAST OF PHEASANT, DUCK, CHICKEN, OR TURKEY SERVED IN A SALAD.
15. Marinate slices of the cooked breast for 30 minutes or so in the vinaigrette.
16. Then, for each serving, arrange several strips over a bed of tender frizzy lettuce leaves.
17. Baste with vinaigrette and decorate with small segments of orange, thin red-onion slices, and a spoonful of toasted pine nuts.
18. Anchovies go off in taste when they sit around in an open canwhich is probably why many people hate anchovies.
19. Stir a quart of boiling water into 1 cup raw, dry bulgur.
20. Let sit 15 minutes, or until pleasantly tender.
21. Drain, rinse in cold water, and squeeze dry in a towel.
22. Toss with 1 Tbs each of olive oil, grated onion, and chopped parsley.
23. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

green beans, shallots, basic vinaigrette, salt, red tomatoes, boiling potatoes, tuna, eggs, anchovy, olives, capers, parsley

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/salade-nicoise-391636 (may not work)